However, Sahajananda wishes to reaffirm the idea that this should remain a support for a more spiritual state of aspiration and actual practice of Hridaya Yoga: meditation, continuous awareness, Hatha Yoga. Theory has its importance, but only as a basis for practice.

The exclusive preoccupation with theory, doctrines, and philosophy can in reality be a hindrance. Following the easier alternative which is merely a mental study, we cannot create the proper conditions for revealing our Real Nature, the Spiritual Heart. On this subject, Ramana Maharshi said:

“Some theoretical knowledge is needed for Yoga and may be found in books, but practical application is what is needed. … As for intuitive understanding, a person may laboriously convince himself of the truth to be grasped by intuition, of its function and nature, but actual intuition is more like feeling and requires practical and personal contact. Mere book learning is not of any great use. “What use is the learning of those who do not seek to wipe out the letters of destiny by enquiring: ‘Whence is the birth of us who know the letters?’ They have sunk to the level of a gramophone. What else are they, O Arunachala?”

Many of the books are rated on a scale from 1 to 5 stars (*). This does not represent an absolute evaluation. Rather it might correspond to the degree of relevance the book has with regard to Hridaya Yoga, the Yoga of the Spiritual Heart.

For a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of yoga and the Hridaya Yoga practice, we recommend the Hridaya Intensive Yoga Retreat: Module 1 book, available on Amazon.

The books marked in bold face are those strongly recommended.

There are an increasing number of e-books being made available for free download on the Internet. Many Upanishads and other Oriental scriptures are available. Books by Swamis Sivananda and Krishnananda have long been available but the Sri Ramanasramam only recently made books on the discourses of Ramana Maharshi available.

(5*) Ashtavakra Gita. An ancient dialogue between two great sages – Astavakra and his disciple, King Janaka – about Advaita Vedanta. It can be found at web address < ahref="http://realization.org/p/ashtavakra-gita/richards.ashtavakra-gita/richards.ashtavakra-gita.html">here

Advaita Bodha Deepika (The Lamp of Non-Dual Knowledge). An ancient book based on the commentaries of Shankara to Vedantasutras. It can be found at web address here

(5*) Dattatreya, Avadhuta Gita (The Song of the Ever-Free).

(5*) Dattatreya, Tripura Rahasya (The Mystery Beyond the Trinity). Tripura Rahasya was considered by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi as one of the greatest works that expounded Advaita philosophy. It actually recommends awareness of the awareness. It was described as a nondual marriage between Advaita and Tantra.

(4*) Krishnananda, Swami, Panchadasi. Commentaries in a classical text about satcitananda. Krishnananda was a disciple of Swami Sivananda.

(5*) Shankara, Adi, The Crest-Jewel of Discrimination (Viveka-Chudamani). A classical treatise about discrimination between what is Real – the Self – and what is not. Probably the most famous of the books attributed to Shankara.

(5*) Shankara, Adi, The Knowledge of the Self (Atmabodha). “An important contribution to the solution of many of man’s most urgent problems and distresses,” says Ananda K. Coomaraswamy.

(4*) Yoga Vasishta Sara: The Essense of Yoga Vasishta. The Brihat (Great) Yoga Vasishta is a work of about 32,000 Sanskrit couplets traditionally attributed to Valmiki, the author of Srimad Ramayana. It is a dialogue between Sage Vasishta and Sri Rama, during which Advaita (the doctrine of nonduality) in its pure form as ajativada (the theory of non-origination, that the world is just a illusion) is expounded.

Ramana Maharshi used to refer to Yoga Vasishta frequently and even incorporated six couplets from it in his Supplement to Forty Verses (verses 21 to 27). A condensation of this work was made (by an unknown author) into about 230 couplets, divided into 10 chapters, as this book, Yoga Vasishta Sara.

B) Works of Ramana Maharshi and His Disciples about Advaita Vedanta, the Self-Inquiry Method, and His Perspective about Reality

(4*) Brunton, Paul, A Search in Secret India. The book lucidly narrates the author’s acquaintance with, impressions of, and relation to Maharshi, who so influenced him. The three chapters — IX, XVI, and XVII — relating to Maharshi were reprinted by Ramanasramam in a booklet entitled “The Maharshi and His Message.”

(4*) Cohen, S.S., GuruRamana: Memories and Notes. General ideas and topics of Advaita, including surrender, maya, free will, Liberation, etc. This book contains some of Cohen’s reminiscences – the memories of a man who remained with Ramana for 14 years – as well as the notes he took down during his long residence at Ramanashram. The last part of the book consists of his diary. This is also very inspiring because it is charged by the spiritual aspiration emanating in the presence of Ramana.

(4*) Ebert, Gabriele, Ramana Maharshi. This biography of Ramana, with many stories about special moments in his life, is well written, and the love for Ramana radiates through her words.

(4-5*) James, Michael, Happiness and the Art of Being: The Philosophy and Practice of the Spiritual Teaching of Bhagavan Sri Ramana. As a direct disciple of Ramana, the author analyzes and presents Sri Ramana’s teaching in a very systematic, accessible, and logical manner. A massive book – and this is only Part 1 of a planned multi-volume work – the index alone runs to 38 pages. Topics include: happiness, the illusion of time and space, the science of consciousness, Self-surrender, etc.

(4-5*) Godman, David, Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi. A very systematic book about Ramana’s perspectives. He starts each chapter explaining the significance of the terms used by Ramana and Ramana’s general vision and after that he exemplifies this with quotes. I consider that Godman had some misunderstandings regarding the Heart, but apart from this, this book represents a very good place to start. The topics are: the Self, Self-awareness, Self-inquiry, surrender, meditation, concentration, samadhi , Creation theories and the reality of the world, the nature of God, etc.

(5*) Maharshi, Ramana, Who Am I? (Nan Yar?). This work, composed by Bhagavan in the mid-1920s, is the work that originated with answers written in the sand in 1901. It is considered the standard introduction to Bhagavan’s teachings. It is advisable to use the translation of T.M.P. Mahadevan.

(5*) Maharshi, Ramana, Self-Enquiry ( Vichara Sangraham). This text consists of 40 questions and answers explaining the attitude needed for revealing the Supreme Self. We can find here different analogies used by Ramana for explaining the Ultimate nature of Reality and how individuality appears. It is advisable to use the translation of T.M.P. Mahadevan, who also provides a clear introduction to and explanation of the text.

(5*) Maharshi, Ramana. Forty Verses on Reality. This text presents a synthesis of Ramana’s teaching of nonduality and practice of inquiry and was written at the request of his disciple Muruganar, who wanted a brief summary of Ramana’s teaching. Ramana wrote the verses as they came to him, and Muruganar arranged them in a particular order. 40 verses fit a classical Hindu poetic form. Later, Ramana wrote 40 additional verses, and the original 40 verses were put into a supplement to the 40 verses. The text still requires some explanations, especially for a beginner. It has very short and essential affirmations since it is structured as a book of aphorisms.

(5*) Maharshi, Ramana. Maharshi’s Gospel. Answers of Ramana to questions put to him by his devotees. The answers are structured around the essential themes of Ramana: Bhakti and Jnana , mind control, silence and solitude, atman. Ego’s existence is not illusory because it is an instrument, a function in the dynamism of creation. What is illusory is the position of the ego as the Supreme Doer. That’s why all spiritual traditions agree that the ego sense must be transcended. Sometimes this is wrongly interpreted as a demand to be altruistic or to fight with the ego in order to destroy this “impostor.” This will only enhance the ego, nourishing it with attention and importance. Something much more profound is intended, namely a radical shift in our sense of who we are: from self (personal) identity, we aim to move to Self Identity -from ahamkâra to âtman. By perseverant practice of discrimination (viveka) and self-inquiry (using the question “Who am I?”) this identification with the ego fades away, allowing the Self to reveal itself more and more.

In Kashmiri Shaivism, however, Aham designates the transcendental Self, the transcendental eternal Identity, as Shiva, and is also known as ahamtâ or “I- ness.””>Aham and Ahamvritti , the place of the Heart, etc. It is a book of about 100 pages, easy to read.

(5*) Maharshi, Ramana. Talks With Ramana Maharshi. This classic book of conversations recorded over the period 1935 – 1939 can be a continuous source of inspiration. Ramana often went behind the words that constitute a question to correct the questioner even on the matter of questioning. When irrelevant and futile questions were asked, he didn’t want to satisfy the idle curiosity of the questioner or confirm him in his delusions. It was said that Ramana does not leave his interlocutor in the place where he was. As one of the devotees put it, “All our questions are from our standpoint, and Sri Bhagavan’s replies are from his standpoint. The questions are not only answered, but are also undermined.” It is a comprehensive book of about 700 pages.

(5*) Maharshi, Ramana. Know the Ramana Way. A very good collection of Q&A about the nature of the mind, ego, etc.

(3-4*) Osborne, Arthur. Ramana Maharshi and the Path of Self-Knowledge. This is a biography of Ramana, with some nice and less known pictures of Ramana.

(4*) Osborne, Arthur. The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi in His Own Words. The contribution of Osborne to this book is mainly the very good compilation of the answers of Ramana, grouped in essential topics. He also gives a few useful explanations and conclusions.

(4-5*) Who. MahaYoga or The Upanishadic Lore in the Light of the Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana. Maha Yoga is the Direct Method of finding the Truth of ourselves. A very clear book about Advaita as taught by Ramana Maharshi. The author, only identified as “Who” on the title page, was Sri K. Laksmana Sarma, who studied for more than 20 years with Ramana. The key topics addressed are happiness, ignorance, world, soul, God, the nature of the Self and the means for realizing this, and the role of devotion.

C) Works of Nisargadatta Maharaj and His Disciples

(4*) Balsekar, Ramesh. Pointers from Nisargadatta. Ramesh Balsekar is the most renowned student of Nisargadatta Maharaj. In his first book, Ramesh explains the teachings of his guru.

(5*) Maharaj, Nisargadatta. I Am That. Claudiu considers this work to be possibly the most powerful book in its capability to completely change a life. This is probably the best-known book about Advaita. It consists of short, brilliant dialogues that Maharaj had with visitors. There are answers to questions on a variety of topics of concern to those still trapped in the illusory world, as well as many wonderful, direct, and penetrating statements.

(5*) Maharaj, Nisargadatta. Consciousness and the Absolute. This is lesser known than I Am That, but nevertheless it has the same freshness and spiritual power. This book features the last teachings of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, including his final dialogues with people during satsang . In the introduction Jean Dunn, the editor, describes them as “the culmination of the rarest teachings he had to give us; they were the summit of the heights of his wisdom.”

(4*) Maharaj, Nisargadatta. The Ultimate Medicine. This book seems to be more theoretical and abstract than the previous two works.

(4*) Maharaj, Nisargadatta. Prior to Consciousness.

(4*) Maharaj, Nisargadatta. Seeds of Consciousness. “What you have learned here becomes the seed. You may forget it apparently, but it will live, and – in due season – will sprout, and grow, and bring forth flowers and fruits. All will happen by itself. You need not to do anything: only, don’t prevent it.” – Nisargadatta

(4*) Maharaj, Nisargadatta. The Nectar of Immortality. These discourses are really about transcendence – ”going beyond” – and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj is described as a true Master of the Art of Transcendence.

D) Works of Other Contemporary Sages and Spiritual Teachers

(5*) Klein, Jean. I Am. All the books of Jean Klein are very inspiring. They present answers that open us beyond rational understanding.

(5*) Klein, Jean. Be Who You Are. This book is mainly about Yoga, meditation, and awareness….(5*) Klein, Jean. Transmission of the Flame.

(5*) Klein, Jean. The Ease of Being.

(5*) Klein, Jean. Be As You Are.

(5*) Klein, Jean. Who Am I?Includes dialogues about couples and sexuality from the perspective of Advaita, a conversation on art, etc.

(5*) Klein, Jean. Open to the Unknown: Dialogues in Delphi.

(5*) Klein, Jean. Beyond Knowledge.

(5*) Klein, Jean. Living Truth: Where Time and Timelessness Meet.

(5*) Klein, Jean. The Book of Listening. A collection of compilations about Advaita, Yoga, love, art, beauty, etc.

(3-4*) Poonja, H.W.L. The Truth Is. A collection of discourses from 1990-1997.

(3-4*) Poonja, H.W.L. Wake Up and Roar: Dialogues with Papaji. The idea “There is nothing to be done” is very present.

(4*) Sivananda, Sri Swami. Vedanta for Beginners. A good introduction to Advaita Vedanta.

(5*) Tolle, Eckhart. The Power of Now. The books of Eckhart Tolle are well known and don’t need a presentation here. I strongly recommend them.

(5*) Tolle, Eckhart. Stillness Speaks. A very inspiring booklet of aphorisms about stillness, the reality beyond the mind, ego, the Now, surrender, nature, relationships, death, eternity, the end of suffering, etc.

(5*) Tolle, Eckhart. A New Earth.

(4*) Vernon, Andrew. Way of the Bird: Commentaries on the Teaching of Shri Ranjit Maharaj. This book includes daily inspiration for all 12 months and is a rather devotional book of Advaita, with good explanations. Ranjit Maharaj was the guru of Nisargadatta.

E) Other Books about Advaita and neo-Advaita Vedanta

(3-4*) Foster, Jeff. Life without a Centre. This book has a lot of very inspiring quotes about Advaita.

(4*) Gangaji, Freedom and Resolve. This is a small booklet about surrender, mind, power, emotions etc. Gangaji is a direct disciple of Poonja.

(3*) Gangaji. The Diamond in Your Pocket. Features an introduction by Eckhart Tolle.

(4*) Gangaji. You Are That, Vol. 1-2.

(5*) Gupta, Mahendranath (aka M). The Gospel of SriRamakrishna. This book features the teachings of the great 19th century Self-realized saint and adept of Advaita, Ramakrishna. The dialogues presented here were recorded during the last four years of his life. M was one of Ramakrishna’s disciples.

(4*) Hartong, Leo. Awakening to the Dream. This book contains many beautiful stories and quotes, but it it may be too much in the frame of neo-Advaita Vedanta.

(2-3*) Hawkins, Dr. David. Advaita: The Way to God through Mind. The writer tries to communicate his perception of the mystery, and he intersperses his ideas with appropriate traditional and contemporary quotations.

(4*) Parsons, Tony. As It Is. To quote from this book: “This is it, and that’s the end of it. Give up the search for something to happen and fall in love, fall intimately in love with the gift of presence in What Is. Here, right here, is the seat of all that you will ever long for. It is simple and ordinary and magnificent. You see, you are already home.”

There are also different other authors and teachers like Nirmala, Nathan Gill, Robert Adams, Sailor Bob Adamson and his disciples – John Wheeler, Gilber Schultz, Mark West, James Braha, etc. But in my opinion their books (especially those of Robert Adams) are not at all a priority. Byron Kathie uses quite an unusual method related with Advaita for transcending the suffering and limitations. According to her students’ testimonials, there are good results.

(2-3*) Wolinsky, Stephen. I Am That I Am. A tribute to Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. This book tries to convey the spiritual message of Nisargadatta using psychological methods (quantum psychology). My opinion is that he doesn’t succeed, simply because he just expresses a theoretical understanding of Advaita.

F) Meditation

(4-5*) Ballentine, Rudolph. The Theory and Practice of Meditation. This is a collection of essays about meditation, written by different teachers. The most interesting of them are: “Mind, Meditation, and Emotions”; “Meditation in Action”; “Obstacles in Meditation”; “Meditation and the Unconscious Mind”; and “The Tradition of Superconscious Meditation.”

(4*) Easwaran, E. Passage Meditation. This book (original title: Meditation) describes the Eight Point Program that Easwaran developed. He gives practical instructions regarding meditation and how to bring the deep wisdom of the Heart into daily life.

(4*) Easwaran, E. Conquest of Mind. Here he goes further into the practice of these disciplines in daily life.

(4*) Easwaran, E. Timeless Wisdom. This book is seen as a companion book to Passage Meditation and contains passages for meditation drawn from among the world’s spiritual traditions.

Goleman, Daniel. The Meditative Mind.

(3-4*) Kabat-Zinn, Jon. Mindfulness Meditation.

(5*) Krishnamurti, J. Meditations. This is an inspiring booklet in which Krishnamurti speaks poetically about what meditation is.

(4*) Leshan, Lawrence. How to Meditate. This is a classic book about meditation. Dr. LeShan, a clinical psychologist who has spent more than 30 years working with cancer patients, takes the approach that meditation is not mysterious; he presents a variety of meditation techniques, from different perspectives.

(4-5*) Lewis, Rick. You Have the Right to Remain Silent.

(4*) Milton, John. Sky Above Earth Below. This is an excellent book about a meditative life in solitude.

(4*) Osho. What is Meditation?

(5*) Sivananda, Swami. Mind, Its Mysteries and Control.

(4*) Tart, Charles. “Meditation, Some Kind of Self-Hypnosis, a Deeper Look.” This is an article from the C. Tart website, http://www.paradigm-sys.com. An interesting comparison between consensus consciousness (the normal wakeful state), hypnosis, shamatha, and vipassana.

Kornfield, Jack. A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life.

(5*) Low, James. Being Right Here: A Dzogchen Text of Nuden Dorje Entitled, “The Mirror of Clear Meaning,” with Commentary by James Low. This text details the perspective and explanations of a Westerner about Dzogchen.

(4*) Rabjam, Longchen. The Practice of Dzogchen.

(5*) Sogyal, Rinpoche. The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.

(5*) Tashi Namgyal, Dakpo. Mahamudra Quintessence of Mind and Meditation. The first major text representing the meditational methods of both Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. A presentation of the theory and practice of meditation, this is a manual detailing the various stages and practices for training the advanced student. The many levels of meditation covered include the following: the differentiation between stages of tranquillity and insight meditation; meditation on the two kinds of selflessness; preparation for mahamudra meditation; the various methods of mahamudra practice; methods for removing obstacles to meditation; how one achieves realization; and the four Yogas of mahamudra.

(5*) Tenzin Namdak, Lopon. Bonpo Dzogchen Teachings.

(5*) Thubten Yeshe, Lama. Make Your Mind an Ocean. This is a book of Buddhist psychology with a lot of inspiring sessions of Q&A in which Lama Thubten explains the Buddhist perspective on emotions, etc.

(4*) Thynn, Dr. Thynn. Living Meditiation, Living Insight. A text about naturalness and awareness in Theravadan Buddhism. Thynn explains clearly how awareness can be integrated in daily life.

(4*) Yeshe, Lama. The Peaceful Stillness of the Silent Mind. A book about stillness…

H) Raja Yoga

(4*) Krishnananda, Sri Swami. The Yoga System. A disciple of Swami Sivananda writes a good book about Raja Yoga and meditation.

(5*) Satyananda, Swami. Four Chapters on Freedom: Commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

J) Consciousness, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Advaita

(4-5*) Bohm, David. Wholeness and the Implicate Order. In this classic work, Bohm develops a theory of quantum physics which treats the totality of existence as an unbroken whole. A lot of correspondence can be done with Advaita vision. Its understanding requires a scientific education.

(4*) Capra, Fritjof. The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism. This well known book became a bestseller in the USA. It was criticized for pushing the analogies and correlations between science and mysticism too far.

(4*) Hofstadter, Dennett. The Mind’s I. A collection of writings and interpretations about consciousness, mind, etc.

(4*) LaBerge, Stephen, Ph.D. Lucid Dreaming: The Power of Being Awake and Aware in Your Dreams. A very good book about lucid dreaming with a lot of insight derived from the Tibetan tradition.

(4*) Lilly, John C. The Center of the Cyclone.

(4*) Lilly, John C. Simulations of God.

(4*) Lilly, John C. Programming and Metaprogramming in the Human Biocomputer.

Penrose, Roger. Shadows of the Mind.

(4-5*) Mishlove, Jeffrey. The Roots of Consciousness. An extensive study about parapsychology and special forms of consciousness – communications with subtle entities, aura, telepathy, etc. This in fact resembles a small encyclopedia of consciousness.

(5*) Perry, John. Knowledge, Possibility, and Consciousness.

Prendergast, John J., Ph.D. Listening from the Heart of Silence: Nondual Wisdom and Psychotherapy.

(5*) Satprem. Sri Aurobindo or the Adventure of Consciousness. A very good book about the vision and spiritual journey of Aurobindo.

(4*) Scaruffi, Piero. The Nature of Consciousness. Some excerpts of this book are published on Piero’s website, www.scaruffi.com.

(4-5*) Sobottka, Stanley. A Course in Consciousness.

(5*) Stenger, Victor J. “Mystical Physics: Has Science Found the Path to the Ultimate?”: Free Inquiry, Vol. 16, No. 3, 1996. A very good synthesis of quantum physics from the perspective of a nondual approach.

(4-5*) Tart, Charles. States of Consciousness

(5*) Tart, Charles. Sex, Drugs and Altered States of Consciousness. Tart introduces an interesting concept: discrete altered states of consciousness that can be useful in understanding deep states of meditation, orgasm, etc. Other interesting articles by Charles Tart appear on his website, http://www.paradigm-sys.com are: “Waking from Sleep at a Preselected Time”; “Space, Time, and Mind”; “Toward a Conscious Control Of Psi”; “Psi Functioning and Altered States”; “Yes, We Are Zombies, But We Can Become Conscious,” etc.

(5*) Welwood, John. The Psychology of Awakening. In this book Welwood integrates Western psychology with Eastern spiritual wisdom.

(4*) Welwood, John. Love and Awakening: Intimate Relationship as a Sacred Path. A beautiful theme, but the book doesn’t have as many original ideas as the Psychology of Awakening has.

K) Poetry, Stories, and Quotes

(5*) Barks, Coleman. The Hand of Poetry, Five Mystic Poets of Persia; The Essential Rumi; The Book of Love. Three very beautiful books of poetry. Even though Barks does not read or speak Persian, but bases his translations entirely on other English translations of Rumi, he has become possibly the most renowned translator of Rumi and of Persian poetry.

(4*) Barks, Coleman. The Soul of Rumi: A New Collection of Ecstatic Poems.

(5*) Vaughan-Lee, Ellyn. Travelling the Path of Love. A collection of the sayings of the Sufi masters from the ninth century to the present day. Some topics include: the longing of the Heart, meditation and prayer, suffering and surrender, polishing the heart, light upon light, etc.

L) Miscellaneous

(4*) Anonymous. Le Kybalion. An ancient book about metaphysics.

(4*) Aurobindo, Sri. Essays in Philosophy and Yoga.

(4-5*) Aurobindo, Sri. The Life Divine.

(4*) Aurobindo, Sri. Essays Divine And Human.

(5*) Aurobindo, Sri. The Synthesis of Yoga.

(4*) Aurobindo, Sri et La Mere. Anthologie de L’Amour.

(4*) Chopra, Deepak. How to Know Go.

(4*) de Mello, Anthony. Awareness. Stories about awareness.

(5*) Feurstein, Georg. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Yoga.

(5*) Feurstein, Georg. Shambhala Guide to Yoga.

(5*) Rama, Swami. Living with the Himalayan Masters.

(5*) Sivananda, Swami. Inspiring Thoughts. A small collection of poems and quotes from different authors.